As part of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Mountain Lakes Services will be hosting a pair of family-themed events in Essex County.

Executive Director Marty Nephew said that the two events will include a family carnival at the Schroon Lake City Beach on Saturday, March 16, starting at 1 p.m. The other will be a Family Fun Day which will be held at Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School starting at 10 a.m.

“This initiative is a statewide effort to have people with disabilities give back to their communities by focusing on volunteering,” he said. “We at Mountain lake Services work diligently with the people we provide services to help them become integral members of their communities and achieve all that they are capable of. Volunteering with local civic organizations is an important way we attain this.”

Nephew said that the group works with local SPCAs; food banks; churches; nursing homes; and municipalities, along with the Lake Placid Marathon Meals on Wheels and local fire departments.

“We even have groups that volunteer to shred or clean for local organizations,” Nephew said.

Nephew also said that he was concerned with the future economic climate faced by his organization via the state as they are facing a statewide 6 percent cut, which would hit Mountain Lakes Services to the tune of around $2.3 million.

“The contributions that people with disabilities make in their communities are substantial,” Nephew said. “These contributions are heavily influenced by the supports and services provided by Mountain Lake Services. This would directly impact the services that are provided to people with disabilities and the 75,000 Direct Support workers employed throughout the state. I ask that you show your support for our agency by speaking with our representatives about the impact people with disabilities have had on your community.”